Gregory Colbert

Biography

"An elephant with raised trunk -
this letter to the stars.
Leaping out of the water kit -
this message from the seabed.
These images - the message of my dreams.
These letters - my letters to you...."

Gregory Colbert was born in Toronto (Canada) in 1960. Teachers at the school did not notice much of a future celebrity talent, Gregory also did not show a special warmth in his memoirs about the mentors. He once said: "Bad teachers are good because they are taught to gain knowledge on their own." The main source of knowledge for Colbert began the book, he loved to read, and all his free time spent in the school library.

However, if the reading and gave some results, then once it was not much: Gregory finished with a school certificate far from perfect, education did not continue, and in the next few years, tried many professions in no way connected with the work.

In the early 80s. the last century, a young back then, Gregory has decided to retire to some remote island in the Pacific and start writing. But at that time his dream was destined to fail, and in 1983, Gregory came to the conclusion that a desert island - not the best place for creativity and decided to go to Paris. After he failed to succeed in the writer's case, Colbert decided to try himself as a filmmaker: he was shot several documentaries about the problems plaguing modern society. One of these films, "On the Edge: AIDS news» («On the Brink - An AIDS chronicle»), which was shown in the mid-80's on the channel «Discovery», nominated for ACE in 1985....

Along with film, Gregory started and photography. The museum Elysee (Switzerland) in 1991. held his first exhibition, bearing the intriguing title «TimeWaves» («Waves of Time"). Significant resonance, the exhibition did not cause, but few collectors still interested in the work of Colbert, and later gave him financial assistance....

From 1992 to 2002 in a civilized society, Colbert did not appear. As it turned out, the photographer set out to explore the relationship between humans and animals inside. Colbert traveled almost all the "uncivilized" world, he traveled to Burma, India, Egypt, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Ethiopia, in Dominica, and even in many exotic locations. He had to adjust to the routine of more than 130 species, among which were sperm whales and whales, sea cows and marine crocodiles, sacred ibis and royal eagles, cranes, and the vulture, cheetahs, lynxes and leopards, wild African dogs, gibbons, antelope and elephants . After a long absence, in 2002, photographer triumphantly opened his new exhibition in Venice. The exhibition, called "Ashes and Snow» («Ashes and Snow»), was a new word in such activities. In terms of scale and scope Exhibition had not equal, it took 12 600 m2 and has been one of the largest exposures belonging to one author, throughout the history of Europe....

In 2005, the exhibition was held in New York. For its implementation has been specially erected building called «Nomadic Museum» (Vagrant Museum). The idea of ​​this building came up with Colbert back in '99 the last century. Tenderness. Photographer Gregory Colbert "Wandering Museum" after Venice moved to Santa Monica, and a year later went to Tokyo in early 2008 came to Mexico City. After the exhibition closed at the end of April 2008 have been summed up. It turned out that the exhibition attracted more than ten million visitors, and it made her very popular in the history of lifetime exposures belonging to one author....